In order to create a more inclusive online environment and respect our students' identities, the Diversity and Equity Advisory Committee has worked with E-learning to pilot a procedure to allow students to use their preferred names and gender pronouns in Canvas.

The following message has been sent to students via Canvas:

Preferred Name & Preferred Gender Pronouns:SPSCC is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive classroom. Sometimes attendance and roll call can be hard for students because the class roster doesn’t reflect their identity. Class rosters are provided to your instructors and Canvas with your legal name. If you identify with a name and or gender identity/pronoun that is not reflected on your school records, there are ways you can change it to adequately reflect your gender identity and pronouns.

CanvasTo have your name changed in ALL of your courses in Canvas please see staff in E-learning (22-181). You’ll need to bring your SPSCC student ID with you. Please advise e-learning staff of this change early in the semester so that your classmates and faculty can adjust and make appropriate changes to our records. Your name will NOT be changed for Financial Aid, Enrollment, or for other processes in which use of your legal name is required. It will also not change in your instructors' class rosters (the information visible only to your instructors).It will be your responsibility to let your instructors know that you have changed your name from a legal name to a preferred name (see below for ideas on how to do this and resources for support).

In Class/Instructors:Your professor can honor your request to address you by an alternate name/gender pronoun. To go by a name other than your legal name in class, talk to your instructor directly. The best way to do this is to email your faculty before classes begin. Provide your instructor with your legal name and let them know what your preferred name and pronouns are. Let them know you will be requesting to change your name in Canvas.

If you are more of an in-person communicator, you can stop by your instructors' office hours as early in the quarter as possible to let them know.

The goal of this option for students is to enable faculty and classmates to respect your name and pronouns throughout your learning experience. This can be an intimidating process, so if you feel you need support please stop by the Diversity and Equity Center in Building 22-270. Peer Mentors, students like yourself and the staff are here to support you. You can also email the Director of Diversity and Equity at eyoshina@spscc.edu.

[END OF MESSAGE TO STUDENTS]

Students may contact you with questions or for assistance with changing their names in Canvas.

The basic process is as follows:

If students want to change their name in Canvas, they should see come to the E-learning Office (22-181).

Students need to bring their Student ID with them when they request the name change.

Lacey Campus students can email Kathy Brooks and she will direct their inquiry to the appropriate person. kbrooks@spscc.edu

Name changes will occur in all of Canvas, not just one class.

If you have any questions or need support with any part of this process, the DEAC is happy to help. Please contact me if you need help.

Additionally, to make your in-person environment more inclusive, the DEAC has developed these resources:

Note to place in your syllabus:

Preferred Name & Preferred Gender Pronouns SPSCC is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive classroom. Class rosters are provided to instructors with students' legal names. However, in class, I will gladly address you by an alternate name or gender pronoun. To have your name changed in class you can talk to me directly. To have your name changed in all of your courses in Canvas, please go to the E-learning Office (22-181). You must bring your student ID with you when you request your online name change.

The DEC is open during Summer Quarter! Drop by, bring your classes in, refer your students to come meet us...We will not have Peer Mentors on duty until fall, but we can definitely orient new students to our programs and resources and make referrals as needed.

Since many of our community are unfamiliar with the practice of sharing gender pronouns publicly, please consider avoiding pronouns until you are confident you know a person's gender and focus instead on creating opportunities to allow students that they can communicate their pronouns to you publicly or privately. This might look like a "get to know me" assignment in the first days of class where you ask students basic information like their name and degree plans, and ask what they'd like to be called in class, and "Is there anything else you'd like me to know about you?"

It will obviously take some practice to avoid using gender pronouns, but it's well worth it to help students feel comfortable in your classroom.

While it is our greatest intention to validate each student's experience, visibility is not always safe for trans* students. We seek to increase safety but sadly, we cannot guarantee it. With this in mind we can work to provide safer spaces on campus and in our courses that allow students to engage with their identities at their own pace and according to their own practiced assessment of their peers.

Many thanks to SPSCC's own Talcott Broadhead for these tips.

3. Remind students--Either in your syllabus or in class--that is it possible to change their name in Canvas. (Functions such as enrollment and Financial Aid cannot be changed as they require the use of legal names).4. Week 1: Learn your students' names and how to pronounce them correctly.

5 Week 1: Facilitate small group formation for at least several weeks. Studies show that students from underrepresented groups often find themselves left out or excluded from small group work. You can help by structuring small groups--and monitoring large group discussions so certain students don't dominate.

6 Week 1 and anytime: Stop by the DEC to say hi! It is so powerful for students who use the DEC to see your faces and get to know you outside of class and office hours. Take the time to attend campus events, especially those that raise awareness about diverse identity groups. Students notice and appreciate your support.

7. Every day: Find a way to increase your own cultural competence and model it for your students. Our students had a panel at the beginning of the year to discuss their experiences in class and on campus. How do you think they answered these questions? (If you'd like to hear more about it, contact us!)

8 All quarter: Share campus events and encourage student engagement outside the classroom. Decades of student retention research shows that students engaged in the full campus experience are more successful and more likely to achieve their college goals. Even though activities are not in full swing in the summer, the DEC and the Student Union Building are open and have spaces to engage and build community as well as staff to support engagement. Send students our way!

These tips were created over time with the help of students and colleagues. They are hopefully ways to get us thinking about some of the everyday things we do to create more inclusivity on campus. They don't, of course, substitute for in-depth knowledge or professional development on increasing our knowledge about about gender diversity, racism in the classroom, or any other topic that improves our competence with students from underrepresented communities.

If you have any suggestions for the "Tip list" or if something doesn't feel right to you please don't hesitate to send us your feedback! We are always looking for ways to increase our own learning.

If you or any students you work with are feeling impacted by the attack on the gay nightclub in Orlando last weekend, please remember that we are here to support you.

It is not uncommon for feelings of vulnerability, anger and despair to linger after a visible tragedy like this one. Be aware of your LGBTQ+ colleagues, friends, and students who may continue to feel its impact uniquely in months to come. Our Latinx and Muslim community members, especially those who are also LGBTQ+, may need support too.​If you need a place to find community support, please come by the Diversity and Equity Center.

We will have tea and space for conversation and support if you need it.

And as always, our counseling staff is nearby and available to serve anyone who needs them.

Students and staff created a memorial to the victims which is currently hanging in the library. It consists of forty-nine origami cranes, one for each of the deceased. Origami cranes carry messages of peace, hope and healing--it is our hope that this memorial will bring you a measure of comfort.

If you are looking for ways to assist the victims of the shooting, here are some ideas:

Blood is always needed locally. Orlando blood banks are currently overwhelmed. Commit to donating blood in our community in weeks to come if you are able in order to replenish supplies. (A cruel irony is that gay men are still restricted from donating blood, so many Orlando residents members are prevented from supporting their own community in this way.)

MOST IMPORTANT: Do everything you can to abolish homophobia, Islamophobia, racism and other forms of oppression in your sphere of influence. Violence thrives on ignorance and fear. Commit to being part of a community that educates itself and others so that hatred cannot take root.

If you are a member of the LGBTQ community and/or Latinx and/or Muslim: Take care of yourself. Access your community resources. Seek out your sources of support and remind yourself you are worthy of asking for what you need. Know that we see you, we value you and we love you. Come to the DEC if you need help getting connected to a supportive community. Here are some ideas on how to start.

2. Commit to learning at least what the letters LGBTQ stand for and mean (without making LGBTQ people your dictionary). Find out at least about the basic issues impacting the LGBTQ community. Much information about these communities is very accessible on the internet or in the DEC.

3. Support our local LGBTQ organizations monetarily. Many are serving critical functions in the community for people who have been separated from their families or otherwise denied access to resources because of the impacts of homophobia. These organizations tend to be small non-profits run by hard-working, dedicated and underpaid professionals. Support their efforts by donating to these community partners

5. Commit to the long-term: This moment has raised awareness of homophobia, racism and Islamophobia—commit to combating these forms of oppression in the long-term as well as this week. Hate crimes impact not only immediate victims and their families, but also communities who share identities with the victims—in others words, our local LGBTQ and Latinx community members—as well as member of other marginalized communities—are sharing some degree of trauma from this event. Commit to remembering that homophobia and racism began long ago and will not end as media attention from this tragedy subsides. We need your passion, awareness, and action for greater justice for many years to come.

6. Read this beautiful poem, and consider how we might all live out its promise:

An Ally's PromiseBy Anthony D'Angelo

I BelieveI believe success is the freedom to be yourself.I believe nobody is wrong; they are only different.I believe your circumstances don't define you, rather they reveal you.I believe without a sense of caring, there can be no sense of community.I believe our minds are like parachutes; they only work if they are open.I believe we only live once, but if we live it right, one time is all well need.I believe we must first get along with ourselves before we can get along with others.

I WillI will seek to understand you.I will label bottles not people.I will grow antennas not horns.I will see the diversity of our commonality.I will see the commonality of our diversity.I will get to know who you are rather than what you are.I will transcend political correctness and strive for human righteousness.

I Challenge YouI challenge you to honor who you are.I challenge you to enjoy your life rather than endure it.I challenge you to create the status quo rather than merely accept it.I challenge you to live in your imagination more than your memory.I challenge you to live your life as a revolution and not just a process of evolution.I challenge you to ignore other peoples ignorance so that you may discover your own wisdom.

I Promise YouI promise to do my part.I promise to stand beside you.I promise to interrupt the world when its thinking becomes ignorant.I promise to believe in you, even when you have lost faith in yourself.

ON BEHALF OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENT SERVICES AND THE OFFICE OF DIVERSITY AND EQUITY

Many of our Muslim community members and students are celebrating Ramadan, which started on June 6/7. Some of our colleagues on other campuses shared the following information which we thought would be helpful to all of us in supporting our Muslim students during this holy month. In addition, we are attaching our "Student Absence for Faith or Conscience Form" which sometimes students don't know they can access. Please contact International Student Services or the Office of Diversity and Equity if you have any questions.

Thank you!

Ramadan 2016 started on June 6 or 7 (depending on calendars). Ramadan lasts 29 to 30 days, during which Muslims abstainfrom food and drink from pre-dawn to sunset. Fasting during Ramadan is obligatory for observant Muslims, although exceptions can be made for reasons of health or age. Muslims also increase their worship and study of the Qur'an during Ramadan, and often attend late night prayers that begin an hour and a half after sunset and last for two hours. These late nights cause many Muslims to rise later than usual, and some people may appear fatigued due to hunger, thirst and disrupted sleep.

Here are a few things for to consider:

Eid al-Fitr is a three-day celebration at the end of Ramadan. Since Ramadan ends about the time Summer term begins this year, July 6th, students celebrating Eid may miss the first few days of summer term.

Faculty members can accommodate Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha by not scheduling tests or important assignments on those days. This is not required-just a suggestion.

If tests or assignments are scheduled on Eid Al-Fitr or Eid Al-Adha, please allow students to complete them before or after the student's excused holiday absence.

Many Muslim students and families are unaware that excused absences are allowed under federal law for religious holidays.

Note that some Muslim students might fast while others might not, depending on their faith-involvement.

We do not expect Muslim students to receive special treatment, but we do hope that as a college we will be as welcoming and sensitve to Muslim students, as we are to other students navigating the responsibilities of home and culture and school.